Ubuntu promoter Mark Shuttleworth took on the traditional role of code-naming the next Ubuntu version on the Ubuntu mailing list. Version 9.04 is henceforth known as Jaunty Jackalope.

The successor to the currently operational Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) is expected this coming April. The final planning for the new Jaunty Jackalope version should be at the center of the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Mountain View, California in December. A Jackalope is a fabled being believed to be the cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope, a jaunty rabbit with antlers. Shuttleworth thus puts the new release into a pugnacious context; in his mail he has another name for it: Warrior Rabbit.

The rabbit part of Jackalope represents for Shuttleworth the planned acceleration of the boot process inherent in 9.04, as in "quick and hard to catch." The cross between rabbit and antelope likewise symbolizes the proposed increased speed of desktop and web applications. Shuttleworth calls the latter Weblications, which integrate seamlessly with the web, as he describes in his introductory mail message about the symbolism behind the code name.

Shuttleworth expects Ubuntu 9.04 to appear on many millions of desktop PCs. Ubuntu should not to pale in comparison with Windows and Mac OS and many users will be prompted to convert, as Shuttleworth promises the developer world by calling the Ubuntu 9.04 project "a chance in a lifetime."

Apart from its symbolism, Ubuntu 9.04 also promises something more concrete: Shuttleworth announces that "Jaunty will move all of Ubuntu into Bazaar," Canonical's version control system.

Just a month after the release of Ubuntu 8.10, the first alpha of Ubuntu 9.04 has become available. The next distro version should boot more quickly, require less power, integrate more web services and include a backup solution.